Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist

They are all carefree young men, each with remarkable skills, and both willing to fight tooth and nail to protect the people they care about.

Moreover, he was amazed by the traditional Chinese painting style "created" by Eri Aragaki. To paraphrase an old saying from martial arts films of the People's Republic of China, it's like "new talents emerge in every generation."

In terms of painting skills, even Akira Toriyama felt somewhat inferior.

Moreover, it's not just that he doesn't eat pears; he also thinks that the drawing skills of the new generation of comic artists are amazing, and that they are comics that he can hardly imagine being drawn by humans.

Erika Aragaki's "Five Elements in the Mist" greatly impressed him.

Even Akira Toriyama was somewhat disappointed. He really wished that Eri Aragaki would stop drawing "Attack on Titan" and just start drawing the long-running series "Fog Hill of Five Elements".

Kid, action-packed shonen manga is the way to go, while dark and edgy manga is just evil and crooked!

He felt a tightness in his chest every time he watched the dark and angsty plot of "Attack on Titan".

He wanted to talk to Bu Chi Li Zi about this idea, but felt it wasn't appropriate, since it's their freedom to choose what subject to paint.

As Akira Toriyama was thinking this, he opened "This Manga Is Amazing! 2008" and began to add to his "watching list," which was also his "collection list" of signed works.

He turned to the first page and read through the books one by one from left to right, marking down anything that interested him with a pen.

He wasn't interested in all the works on the list, such as the number one "81diver," because he didn't really like shogi or any board games.

This is unlike traditional Japanese people.

But thinking about it carefully, there are also people in the Republic who don't like chess. It's not that they hate it, they just don't like it, and they're not good at it either, so that's normal.

81diver was therefore not included in Akira Toriyama's list of "anime to catch up on".

Then he gradually saw One Piece ranked 15th, and then he flipped further and found Attack on Titan also on the list, ranked 27th.

"It's already in the top 30 after just 20 episodes, that's quite an impressive assessment."

Akira Toriyama nodded as he looked at the comment, "An undisputed rookie monster."

"Oh right, it's almost time for Shueisha's annual year-end party, isn't it..."

He closed the magazine, leaned back in his chair, and glanced at the calendar on the wall.

Every year in mid-December, Shueisha holds a year-end party, inviting its popular manga artists to Tokyo to participate.

Generally, only cartoonists who receive an invitation can go.

But given his status... of course he can go wherever he wants.

Even after Dragon Ball ended, and even though Akira Toriyama stopped serializing long-running manga series, Shueisha still invited him to their year-end party every year.

However, Akira Toriyama rarely went there.

He would only attend the year-end party for new comic artists he particularly wanted to sign.

I'm getting older and don't like noisy places anymore, plus it's too much of a hassle to travel from Aichi Prefecture to Tokyo and back.

As he thought this, he tapped his fingers on the table, then glanced at the color pages of "Fog Hill of Five Elements" in the open magazine. The thought swirled in his mind, "Should I... participate this year? And then get an autograph from 'Not Eating Pears'?"

By the way, try to persuade the person who doesn't eat pears to go back to the "right path".

Go draw action-packed shonen manga, stop drawing those heavy things. With your skill, you'll definitely excel at drawing mainstream works.

He considered the idea, then felt he was meddling; the other person was drawing well, and the giant's grades weren't bad either.

But as someone who's been through it all, he felt he should offer some advice.

Besides, he's a fan of pears!

……

As for Eri Aragaki, although Attack on Titan appeared on the list of "This Manga is Amazing! 2008".

Although there was some online discussion, and even heated arguments, Fujimoto Itsuki and the person who said "Nagato is me" were still engaged in a fierce battle with some extremely irrational Naruto and One Piece fans on the forum.

However, Eri Aragaki's life hasn't really been affected; she's been spending less time surfing the internet lately.

Because I had to rush to finish the manuscript, I was also working on proofreading the second volume of Attack on Titan, drawing the cover of the second volume, and finishing the manuscript for the next two weeks of Attack on Titan serialization.

Masaya Sakurai faxed over the proofreading comments page by page, and she revised them again and again. The cover was finally finalized just now.

With Erina actively preparing for her exams at home, there was one less assistant to help her, so Eri Aragaki became a bit busier.

Although Ayane Takeda and Akane Natsume came to help, Eri Aragaki was still very busy with the combined workload of the magazine and the individual volumes.

After the deadline, she submitted her manuscript and handed over two weeks' worth of drawings in a file bag to Masaya Sakurai, who came to her door in person.

The second volume of Attack on Titan is about to be printed. All the proofreading, typesetting, cover, and afterword have been completed, and it seems that life can finally be a little easier.

However, since Erina is going to Waseda University for an exam on the 16th, she can't completely relax. Eri Aragaki has to make sure that Erina is in the best condition when she goes out on those two days.

However, they have already decided that the four of them will attend the Shueisha year-end party together after the 17th.

When Masaya Sakurai called to confirm the number of participants, Eri Aragaki asked Akane Natsume and Erina, and both of them agreed, indicating that there were no problems.

So the name has already been submitted. As an invited manga artist, Eri Aragaki can bring three family members or assistants to attend.

On the 16th and 17th, Eri Aragaki personally drove Erina to and from the written test and interview.

She got up at six o'clock on the morning of the 16th and made a sumptuous breakfast for Erina, setting a table full of food.

Then she drove her silver Audi A4 to the entrance of Waseda University, parking the car in a temporary parking space in front of the Okuma Auditorium.

Erina, dressed in the interview attire she had prepared in advance, with her hair neatly tied up, took several deep breaths before opening the car door.

The written test was reviewed on the spot, and after the test, candidates were called into a small classroom next door in batches to wait for the results.

There aren't many test takers, because there are only a few spots available for recommended admission, and only well-known high schools have this qualification.

It's like a summer camp in the Republic; very few students can actually participate.

The written test went smoothly, which relieved Erina and Eri Aragaki.

In general, if you have no problems with the written test, you shouldn't have any problems with the interview either.

The two went to Waseda University again the next day, and the interview results were released immediately.

When Erina came out of the interview room, Eri Aragaki was sitting in her car, waiting for Erina to come out.

She saw Erina walk out of the building, her steps quicker than usual, her scarf fluttering in the wind.

Finally, as Erina walked out of Waseda University with a smile, she raised the folder in her hand towards Eri Aragaki from afar, her smile brighter than the June sun.

Eri Aragaki knew the outcome from that expression. She breathed a sigh of relief and then gave Erina a thumbs up.

She was in high spirits and said with a smile, "Alright! Now, let's go have some fun and relax!"

Chapter 108 The Advantages of a Transmigrator (Daily Life) 4K

After driving Erina home to rest for a while, that evening, together with Ayane Takeda and Akane Natsume, who had made prior arrangements, they went to the Michelin three-star French restaurant that Eri Aragaki had booked in advance to celebrate.

Just this November, Michelin released its first Tokyo guide, the first Michelin guide in Asia.

Although Michelin is a tire company, they are actually quite good at rating restaurants, and their one- to three-star rating system is widely recognized globally.

Moreover, at that time, Michelin ratings were not as widespread as they would be in later years, and they still held considerable value. In the first edition of the Tokyo guide, only eight restaurants were awarded three stars.

In any case, for people like Eri Aragaki who aren't professionals and don't frequent high-end restaurants often, referring to guidance from professionals is definitely a good idea.

As for why Eri Aragaki and the others didn't go to a Chinese restaurant...

As mentioned before, Chinese food has become a staple for Eri Aragaki and her friends.

With Chinese food becoming more like everyday meals, celebrations definitely need to be a bit more special.

Besides, it's not bad to occasionally enjoy a nice meal. In any case, Eri Aragaki is quite well-off now. The royalties from the reprint of the first volume of her manga have just arrived, and the pre-sale of the second volume is already scheduled.

That evening, Eri Aragaki drove three girls to the Michelin three-star French restaurant in Ginza.

The streets of Ginza are brightly lit at night, filled with office workers who have just finished get off work and young people who come to stroll around.

The environment here is also quite luxurious. After all, everyone knows that the more upscale the restaurant, the more important the environment is. The environment and service are both part of the high price.

The restaurant's interior lighting was dim, with a separate spotlight shining on the white tablecloth above each table. Several abstract paintings hung on the walls, and the background music was piano music at just the right volume.

In short, the decor of French restaurants is basically the same.

“We have an appointment.”

After Eri Aragaki gave her reservation information, the receptionist checked it against the register and then smiled and asked them to follow her over.

They were led to their reserved table, a four-person table by the window, where the cutlery was already neatly set out, the silver cutlery gleaming softly under the light.

"Please wait a moment, guests..."

After ordering, Ayane Takeda and Erina started looking around.

The main purpose is to appreciate the ambiance of a high-end restaurant, from the crystal chandelier on the ceiling to the dish on the next table that was served in a silver shroud by the waiter.

Ayane Takeda took out her phone and started snapping photos everywhere. Although the camera resolution of flip phones in that era was limited, the photos looked okay on the small screen, but became blurry when enlarged on a computer.

But that didn't stop people from taking photos with their phones when they didn't have professional cameras, and taking a lot of pictures whenever they went to a special place.

"Erina, thank you so much. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to come to a place like this. Congratulations on getting into Waseda University."

At this moment, Natsume Akane smiled and said to Erina with high emotional intelligence, raising the glass of sparkling water that had just been poured on the table and gently swirling it towards Erina.

"Yes, congratulations Erina on getting into Waseda University."

Ayane Takeda then realized what was happening, quickly put down her phone, and raised her glass as well.

"Thank you, Sister Qian and Sister Caiyin, for your blessings."

Erina smiled and raised her own cup in response.

She was clearly in a good mood today; the nervousness from the morning interview had completely dissipated, and she looked much more relaxed now. "But I should thank my sister more. I actually think celebrating at home at first would have been enough..."

"This is something to celebrate!"

Eri Aragaki's eyes widened, and she said earnestly, still holding the menu in her hand, "It's not really a celebration at home, and actually, I wanted to try what French food at a Michelin three-star restaurant is like."

In her previous life, she had tried restaurants with one or two Michelin stars. After all, Michelin stars were already widespread in the Republic back then, and it wasn't just high-end restaurants that could be awarded them; even Chinese restaurants had them.

After all, the Michelin rating doesn't consider the cuisine; it only evaluates the taste. If you cook well, you can get on the list.

In her previous life, Eri Aragaki had eaten at some one- or two-star restaurants when she was traveling with friends. The average cost per person was not expensive, usually around 800 to 1000 yuan for four or five people.